Tuesday, 31 December 2013

Japanese film distributor TOHO began streaming the first full trailer for the 18th Detective Conanfilm, Detective Conan: Ijigen no Sniper (Detective Conan: Sniper From Another Dimension), on Friday.

A sniper opens the video by saying, "Finally, the time has come," and proceeds to shoot a man in the chest. The same shooter aims at Conan and says, near the end of the video, "High school detective Shinichi Kudo, playtime is over."

The film will feature the appearance of Shuichi Akai, and revolves around a sniping incident case. Even though someone was aiming a sniper rifle at Akai, it was Sera who was shot in the chest. The people in Tokyo are afraid of getting involved in this dreadful sniping incident. Will Akai, who should be dead, be targeted again? And why was Sera hit? The film will also include appearances by Subaru Okiya and FBI agent Jodie Starling.

To complete these offers, download and print the appropriate forms from the Right Stuf website and send in the required materials: DVDs, cases, and payment. Complete instructions can be found on the form itself.

This program is only available through Right Stuf and to those with shipping addresses in the United States and Canada.

Those wishing to upgrade should expect a processing time of three to four weeks.

Bushiroad announced on Monday that it will stream the Future Card Buddyfight television animeseries on YouTube and Hulu with an English dub starting on January 3. Both sites will stream new episodes on Fridays, immediately after the episodes air in Japan. Cartoon Network will also air commercials for the anime starting on January 6.

The anime takes place around the year 2030, in Japan's new capital city of Chō Tokyo. Humans intermingle with beings from the parallel world of "Shinkinkai." The "Buddyfight" game chooses humans ("Buddyfighters") and partners them with Buddy Monsters from Shinkinkai, and the duo fight against other Buddyfighters. The battles in these games can sometimes even influence the fate of nations. Gaō Mikado is a sixth-year student at the "Aibo Academy" elementary division who longs to be a Buddyfighter and to be partnered with a Monster. One day Gaō notices a young boy being bullied by delinquents, and he helps him out using his Aiki-jujutsu skills. Drum Bunker Dragon, a Monster and the son of the hero of Dragon World, watches Gaō's actions, and decides to form a pact with him as his buddy.

Bushiroad is currently streaming an English-dubbed promotional video for the series.

The series will premiere in Japan on TV Aichi on January 4 at 8:00 a.m.

Bushiroad had announced in June that the new trading card game would receive manga and anime adaptations. The official website describes the trading card game as "the ultimate card game of this century" and features art by animation studio Oriental Light and Magic (Pokémon,Utawarerumono).

The Future Card Buddyfight trading card game will get a simultaneous release worldwide with editions in both Japanese and English. The game launches with the Trial Deck Volume 1: Dominant Dragons, and Trial Deck Volume 2: Savage Steel on January 24. The Booster Pack Volume 1: Dragon Chief will launch on January 31, and Bushiroad will release other products throughout the rest of 2014.

Bushiroad is also streaming an English tutorial video for the trading card game.

The Japanese government will fund a new foreign "Japan Channel" that will broadcast anime, dramas, music programs, and travel programs. The government is allocating 15.5 billion yen (about US$14.7 million) for subtitling and dubbing costs as well as publicity, setting up foreign broadcasting offices, and co-producing programs. The new channel will launch in Thailand in January, in Indonesia in February, and in Cambodia in April. The government is also considering launching the channel in the United States, Europe, and Africa.

In 2002 the Japanese government launched its intellectual property policy outline, with a goal of becoming "a nation built on intellectual property." Included in that plan was to transmit Japanese culture to the foreign countries, but the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has noted that so far any support for this has been sporadic because "there has been no leadership in the government."

Prime Minister Shinzō Abe had announced in June that the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' "Cool Japan" initiative will get its own investment fund in November. Cool Japan is a program supported by the Japanese government and various companies that promotes modern Japanese culture such as anime and manga abroad. The program revolves around the premise that Japan's strength in business and international affairs lies in anime, manga, films, fashion, and other fields of Japanese arts and entertainment content.

The Sankei Shimbun newspaper reports that the government is launching the channel use "soft power" to help counter the negative image that China and South Korea have been spreading about Japan regarding the territorial disputes with China over the Senkaku Islands and with South Korea over the Takeshima (Liancourt Rocks) island group

Matt Smith(The Eleventh Doctor) andKaren Gillian(Amy Pond) are both heading down under for a special tour around the country next March. The Hub Productions "The Doctor is IN" guests live on stage, talking about the phenomenon of Doctor Who and their lives as the Doctor and his companion. There will also be merchandise as well as rare collectibles available to purchase from dealers. Limited autographs and professional photographs will be available with the guests. The Tour dates are as follows>>> SYDNEY MARCH 1st 2014>>> PERTH MARCH 2nd 2014>>> ADELAIDE MARCH 8th 2014>>> MELBOURNE MARCH 9th 2014Additional Guests as well as Venues and Ticket Info will be announced Mid January from theHub's website

Other Australian Appearances includeBillie Piper(Rose Tyler), who will be touring with Oz Comic-Con in Adelaide and Perth throughout March and April 2014 Tickets can be purchased from theOfficial Oz Comic-Con siteAlso travelling to Australia and New Zealand is Fifth DoctorPeter Davisonto host the Doctor Who Synphonic Spectacular

Monday, 30 December 2013

2014's sixth issue of Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sundaymagazine is announcing on January 8 that a new Detective Conan anime special project is launching. The "astonishing collaboration" is tentatively titled "Edogawa Conan Shissō Jiken ~Shijō Saiaku no Ichinishi" (The Disappearance of Conan Edogawa: The Worst Day in History), and it will recount a previously untold story from Conan's past.

The anime special will celebrate the 20th anniversary ofGosho Aoyama's original manga. Viz Media has been publishing the manga in North America under the namedCase Closed, and Funimation released part of the television anime series and some of the anime films.

Lupin III vs. Detective Conan The Movieopened this month and earned 649,835,000 yen (about US$6,288,900) in its first two days to top the Japanese box office. The film hasearned a total of 1,445,987,935 yen (US$13,897,390) as of December 15. Detective Conan: Ijigen no Sniper (Detective Conan: Sniper From Another Dimension), the 18th Detective Conanfilm, will open in Japan on April 19, 2014.

Director Shinji Ishihira expressed his joy at being able to bring the anime to fans in the spring. He mentioned that while there will be a change in staff for the restart of the anime, they are working to increase the quality of the show as a whole.

Takeuchi is replacing Aoi Yamamoto as character designer, while Bridge is replacing Satelight as one of the studios animating the series.

Mashima had asked fans earlier this year to wait until he could announce some "good news" since the first television anime adaptation of Fairy Tail ended. Mashima added on Twitter at the time, "It's actually not over yet. I can't say more than this, but I hope you watch the rerun starting in April and wait for the day I can announce some good news. […] Anime is not the end. Don't stop believing." The series concluded with a "To Be Continued" title card. Mashima later announced that the television anime project had relaunched.

During the run-up to the Christmas Day broadcast of The Time of The Doctor, a number of interviews were conducted with Orla Brady and Jenna Coleman on radio and television, and are still available for catch-up. In addition, there were a number of other programmes related to Doctor Who, which are summarised below.

BBC iPlayer radio programmes are normally available to listen to worldwide; however television programmes are restricted to the United Kingdom only.

Interviews

Loose Ends, BBC Radio 4 Extra, 21 Dec 2013 at 6:15pmClive Anderson takes off in the Tardis with actress Orla Brady, who's starring in the Christmas episode of Doctor Who. Orbiting a quiet backwater planet, the massed forces of the universe's deadliest species gather, drawn to a mysterious message that echoes out to the stars - and amongst them, the Doctor. 'Doctor Who - The Time Of The Doctor' is on Christmas Day at 19.30 on BBC One.

Colin Paterson presenting. Jenna Coleman is a familiar presence on our screens over Christmas, with starring roles in both Doctor Who - as the Doctor's companion Clara Oswald - and Death Comes to Pemberley, adapted from the PD James novel. She explains why it's such a wrench to be saying farewell to her co-star Matt Smith, as she looks forward to working with the newest Doctor in the persona of Peter Capaldi.

David Tennant talks about his roles in the two most highly anticipated television events of 2013 - the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special and the final episode of Broadchurch. He discusses which accent he decided on for his roles in The Escape Artist, the Politician's Husband and to play Shakespeare's Richard II on stage.

Also on the Radio

The TARDIS in Teesside, BBC Radio Tees, 26 Dec 2013 at Midday

For over fifty years now, Doctor Who has inspired, influenced and delighted generations of fans around the world. A lifelong devotee himself, BBC Tees presenter Bob Fischer set out to investigate how the show has shaped the lives of fans in the BBC Tees area… from the grizzled veterans who watched the first episode back in 1963 (the day after The Beatles played at the Globe Theatre in Stockton), to 2013’s generation of school-age fans, tentatively awaiting Peter Capaldi’s debut.

He also looks at literal examples of the TARDIS arriving on Teesside, remembering the official BBC exhibition that materialised in Middlesbrough Town Hall in 1973, Tom Baker’s visit to the Binns department store in 1976, and the arrival of the legendary Dimensions convention in Stockton’s Swallow Hotel in 2002. On the way, he uncovers terrifying tales of Daleks in the playground, Cybermen in the school corridors, and… erm, Weetabix down the toilet. And also meets Teesside actor Mark Benton, who took time out of his busy schedule to share his memories of appearing alongside Christopher Eccleston in show’s triumphant 21st century reinvention.

Marking 50 years of Doctor Who, Paul Hayes explores a variety of Norfolk people's links to the programme or their reasons for loving the show. Featuring interviews with Brian Hodgson, creator of the TARDIS sounds and the Dalek voices back in 1963; Davros actor Terry Molloy; scriptwriter David Fisher; Doctor Who Mastermind winner Karen Davies; designer Spencer Chapman (who worked on 1964's The Dalek Invasion of Earth, pictured above); Cyberman actor Graham Cole; former child actress Barbara Harper; university lecturer Keith Johnston, and a variety of Norfolk-based fans of the series with stories to tell about just why they love the show, and what Doctor Who means to them.

On Saturday November 23rd 1963, BBC TV broadcast the very first episode of Doctor Who. Fifty years later, the series is the most successful drama on television. In this special documentary, Radio 2 examines the reasons for its longevity and popularity. Featuring new interviews with the cast and crew of the series, the programme looks at the lasting appeal of Doctor Who and asks how much of its continued success can be attributed to its basic formula. With archive clips, and the music of Doctor Who composer Murray Gold, Who Is The Doctor? includes interviews with: Doctors; Sylvester McCoy, David Tennant, Christopher Eccleston and Matt Smith, companions; Louise Jameson, Billie Piper, Jenna Coleman and the late Elisabeth Sladen, and show-runners Russell T Davies, Philip Hinchcliffe and Steven Moffat. The programme also considers the character of the Time Lord, across all of his regenerations, and it revisits the origins of the series with Waris Hussein, director of the debut Doctor Who story An Unearthly Child. Who Is The Doctor? also examines how the franchise survived when the show was off TV, considers the impact of the revival in 2005 and assesses the value of the series to the BBC. Other contributors include, TV executives Jane Tranter, Lorraine Heggessey, Faith Penhale and Julie Gardner, historian Dick Fiddy, composers Murray Gold and Mark Ayres, conductor Ben Foster, writers Terrance Dicks, Mark Gatiss, Justin Richards and Gary Russell, journalist Tom Spilsbury, production designer Michael Pickwoad, and actor Nicholas Briggs. Presented by Russell Tovey Written and produced by Malcolm Prince.

A Tale of Two Jamies: Diana Gabaldon is a romance writer with a legion of admiring fans. Her hero, Jamie Fraser, is a swashbuckling Scot who has captured her readers' hearts. Actor Frazer Hines is a former Doctor Who assistant. His character, Jamie McCrimmon, played an unlikely part in inspiring Gabaldon to write her bestselling Outlander novels. Frazer meets Diana and her fans to learn more about the phenomenon he unwittinginly helped create, exploring Scottish history, time travel and the meaning of true love along the way.

Amidst the anticipation and build up leading toThe Time of the Doctorthis week, San Diego-based comic book publisherIDWquietly bid farewell to the Eleventh Doctor in its2013 Special, released Christmas Eve.The Doctor Who 2013 Special, titledThe Girl Who Loved Doctor Who, features the Eleventh Doctor slipping into a universe not unlike our own -- a universe where the Doctor exists as a television show and is played by an actor namedMatt Smith-- and where a threat from the Doctor's own universe threatens the existence of this one.The 2013 Special is written by long time Doctor Who television, novel, and comics scribePaul Cornellwith art byJimmy Broxton. It features several nods to recent changes in the production status of the television series, and a theme that longtime Cornell readers will find familiar.The issue features 40 color pages of original story/art and an additional eight color pages featuring every cover of the IDW Doctor Who comic series -- from its starting miniseries "Agent Provocateur" in 2008 up to and including the last issue of IDW's 50th anniversary series, "Prisoners of Time."The 2013 Special is the final Doctor Who issue by IDW under its license with the BBC. Of this closing chapter of the Doctor in IDW's comics,Chris Ryall, IDW's Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief, writes,

...thank you [readers] and retailers on both shores for trusting this American upstart to handle your beloved 50-year-old Time Lord; thanks to the BBC for giving us this shot in the first place, and a final note of gratitude to all the creators who made for such companions along the way.

The Doctor Who 2013 Special retails for $7.99 and is available at comic stores now.

Doctors

John Hurthas been voted joint first in the annualBeard of the Year Awards, alongside choirmaster Gareth Malone and England rugby player Geoff Parling. The trio came top of the poll from theBeard Liberation Front, which attracted over 10000 votes.[Telegraph, 28 Dec 2013]David Tennantcommented that he currently doesn't know whether he'll be involved in the second series ofChris Chibnall'sBroadchurch:"We don’t know where the characters are going. We don’t know the story he is telling. Some people say they know they are in it. I am not sure they do, though. I think some might get a shock. I was dying of a heart attack, so I don’t know how able Alec Hardy will be to do any more crimefighting, so we will have to see."[Radio 4, via Mirror, 28 Dec 2013]Speaking of which, aRadio Timespoll saw critics name Tennant's show the best TV show of 2013.Tim Glandfield, RadiotTimes.com editor, said:"The death of event TV has been greatly exaggerated. Broadchurch drew the nation into a collective hysteria every Monday night for eight weeks, as who killed Danny Latimer became the talking point in the press, pubs, front rooms and factories up and down the country. A brilliant piece of homegrown drama with an exquisite cast of actors, Broadchurch is a fantastic example of British TV at its very best.".[Radio Times, 27 Dec 2013]Peter Capaldihas been put forward as a candidate for the position of Rector at the University of Glasgow, though the actor himself has yet to agree to run for election. Apetitionwas started by politics studentFiona Duncan, who said:"I’m trying to show that there is a demand from the student body for him to stand before contacting him. It would be great to have someone from the arts representing Glasgow students."[Times Higher Education, 25 Dec 2013]Peter Cushingis considered the number one thespian from Kent, according to a county news source. CorrespondentChris Britcherobserved:"He lived for much of his life in Whitstable, moving there in 1959, in a seafront home he shared with his wife. A popular figure about the town, he would love to sit and paint the view along the beach. Cushing’s View today marks the spot he so adored, while the town’s museum has a permanent section devoted to him.". The "alternative" Doctor is not alone, however, withTom Bakeralso listed at number eight:"He remains, for a whole generation, their favourite Doctor Who – and is destined to be synonymous with the character at the very height of its fame. Mr Baker lived for many years in Boughton Monchelsea, near Maidstone, and now resides in Tunbridge Wells. He is a familiar sight in and around the town."[Kent News, 24 Dec 2013]

Writers

Neil Gaimanhas been named the winner of the 2013Book of the Year Award, with his bookThe Ocean At The End Of The Lanewinning the public vote in theNational Book Awards. The writer commented:"I've never written a book before that was so close to my own heart: a story about memory and magic and the fear and danger of being a child. I wasn't sure that anyone else would like it. "I'm amazed and thrilled that so many other people have read it, loved it, and made their friends read it too."[Radio Times, 28 Dec 2013]A new publication in theTime Tripsseries ofe-books,The Death Pitis now out, and its setting of Arbroath in Scotland has attracted local interest. Dundee-born authorAlison Kennedysaid:"I know Arbroath a bit. I lived there for a few months and in Carnoustie for about a year. It just seemed a suitable place. I wanted it to be in a small town."Writing for the fourth Doctor, she said:"I was a fan of the series as a child, and I am now. When it’s at its best it hasn’t changed - it’s very resilient. It was a very happy editorial experience."[Evening Telegraph, The Courier, 28 Dec 2013]